Collection Time Period

This census was taken beginning June 1, 1855.

Record Description

The census schedules consisted of large sheets with rows and columns. The schedules were arranged by street in order of visitation. The census schedules are well preserved at the Massachusetts State Archives and they have been microfilmed.

Record Content

Genealogical information in the census:

Name

Age

Birthplace

Sex

Color

Condition

Occupation

How to Use the Records

Begin your search by finding your ancestors in the census index. Use the locator information in the index (such as page number or family number) to locate your ancestors in the census. Some on-line indexes, such as indexes to FamilySearch Historical Records, will take you directly to an image. Compare the information in the census to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to compare the information of more than one family or person to make this determination. Be aware that as with any index, transcription errors may occur.

When you have located your ancestor in the census, carefully evaluate each piece of information about them. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors. For example:

Use the age listed to determine an approximate birth date. This date along with the place of birth can help you find a birth record. Birth records often list biographical and marital details about the parents and close relatives other than the immediate family.

Birth places can tell you former residences and can help to establish a migration pattern for the family.

Use the race information to find records related to that ethnicity such as records of the Freedman’s Bureau or Indian censuses.

Use the naturalization information to find their naturalization papers in the county court records. It can also help you locate immigration records such as a passenger list which would usually be kept records at the port of entry into the United States.

If they are subject to military service they may have military files in the State or National Archives.

Occupations listed can lead you to employment records or other types of records such as school records; children’s occupations are often listed as “at school.”

It is often helpful to extract the information on all families with the same surname in the same general area. If the surname is uncommon, it is likely that those living in the same area were related.

Be sure to extract all families before you look at other records. The relationships given will help you to organize family groups. The family groupings will help you identify related families when you discover additional information in other records.

Some other helpful tips to keep in mind are:

Married family members may have lived nearby but in a separate household so you may want to search an entire town, neighboring towns, or even a county.

You may be able to identify an earlier generation if elderly parents were living with or close by a married child.

You may be able to identify a younger generation if a young married couple still lived with one of their sets of parents.

Additional searches may be needed to locate all members of a particular family in the census.

Record History

In 1855 the legislature directed that a census be taken on June 1 of that year and every 10 years thereafter. The census schedules were delivered to the State Secretary and eventually sent to the State Archives for safe keeping. The census schedules are well preserved at the Massachusetts State Archives and they have been microfilmed.

Why this Record Was Created

The state census of Massachusetts was taken in order to enumerate the population for representation purposes.

Record Reliability

Censuses are usually reliable, depending on the knowledge of the informant and the care of the census enumerator. Information may have been given to a census taker by any member of the family or by a neighbor.

Known Issues with This Collection

Problems with this collection?

Problem 1. Wrong images: When searching for an individual and then viewing the record details page, selecting to view the image may display an image that does not contain the record of the correct individual. The correct image may be several images to the right of the displayed image.

Problem 2. The first 42 records (9 families) of Chesterfield, Hampshire County are incorrectly indexed as being from Belchertown, Hampshire County.

Resolutions:

1. The easiest way to find the correct image is to use the "Family Number" in the record details of the individual. When the image appears, scroll forward to find the correct family number.

2. If the record details show that the individual lived in Belchertown, check the census form to verify the exact location.

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Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections

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